The Sakura Tree
by PsychicDreams
Summary: [Part One Himawari's Confession][Part Two What does Watanuki do now with Doumeki's feelings out in the open?][Part Three Things are fine between Watanuki and Doumeki. It's just the rest of the school that doesn't seem to agree.]
1. Chapter 1

**The Sakura Tree**  
_Today was the…strangest day I've ever had in my life. No doubt about it. This ranks right up there with the day that I'd dreamt of being eaten by that catfish and then the dissection in science class at school._

Watanuki rolled over in his bed, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't get to sleep. His mind refused to let him rest and, like a tongue probing a sore tooth, he kept going back and reliving the whole day again and again. His brain was beginning to ache and he was getting frustrated. His mother had always said if you had a problem, just talk it out with someone, but there was no one for him to talk to. All things considered, he felt numb.

_Fifteen hours earlier_

"WHY AM I ALWAYS STUCK WITH YOU?!"

"It's not my fault we're running late."

Watanuki's legs carried him as fast as he could run toward the school gate and it galled him that Doumeki was keeping perfect pace next to him. This was all, truth be told, Yuuko's fault. She had called both of them, saying they had to be up at least three hours earlier than normal to do a job. As if she hadn't known that they wouldn't have time to do anything after it was done except burst into a frantic run toward school and hoping they'd beat the bell.

"Damn Yuuko! She just stood there, SMILING AT US! She knew we were going to be late!"

"We're not late yet. The gates are up ahead. So hurry up."

Doumeki pulled ahead, as if he hadn't been running with all his strength and Watanuki glared. There was a horrible stitch in his side and his legs were beginning to feel like utter jelly after so long. He feared for a moment, he would just give out right there, but if _Doumeki_ could make it, he would rather die than admit that he was on his last gasp.

In the end, it was a toss-up who made it through the gate first, though Doumeki insisted that it was himself. Since they didn't share the same class, Watanuki could only shout his annoyance at a retreating back before sprinting, slower this time, toward his own school building.

"There you are! You're safe, the teacher hasn't shown up yet."

"Himawari-chan!"

She had been waiting by the classroom door for him. How sweet! That was just like his adorable Himawari, to be so caring about others. He collapsed in his seat, his inner reflections on how wonderful his crush was interrupted, when said crush smashed his thoughts like a freight train with her next words.

"Watanuki-kun, can I ask you something personal?"

Watanuki blinked and sat up a little straighter, and for the first time, he saw a blush on Himawari's cheeks. She looked even more adorable now, all shy, that his heart skipped a few beats. "Yeah, sure."

She leaned in close, as if she didn't want anyone to hear, and he could smell a faint perfume of flowers. Or was that her hair conditioner? Or was it just her unique, perfectly lovely scent all her own?

"If you were going to…confess your feelings for someone, where would you do it?"

He couldn't believe his ears at first. She was asking him where he'd confess his love for her? Did that mean Himawari had someone she was in love with? Did that mean she might be asking where he would like to do it so she could confess her love to him just so perfectly?

"W-well," he stuttered, trying not to blush himself from the pleasurable thought that his crush might love him right back, "I would do it at lunch, under the sakura tree on the hill that the art teacher always has us near when we're outside. Then I would just let all my feelings out and give her a cherry blossom to put in her hair, and then we would hug."

"That's so romantic, Watanuki-kun!"

He wanted desperately to ask her who she was going to ask to meet under the sakura tree at lunch, but the door slid closed behind the teacher and that was the end of the conversation.

_Several hours later_

Himawari was nowhere to be found. She had been sent on an errand right before lunch. He had almost dared not leave the classroom in case she was rushing back to ask him to meet under the cherry tree, but she hadn't shown up after a few minutes. Maybe she was still busy? If he came to her, then maybe she would have the chance to ask him. Why ask him where he would confess if it wasn't him she was thinking about?

He rounded the corner, glancing in the direction of the sakura tree in an only absent manner. Yuuko would have called it _hitsuzen_ that he did. He hadn't had a reason to glance in that direction, and he had convinced himself that Himawari would ask him there. Sometimes he hated _hitsuzen_.

Himawari's figure with…Doumeki. So that's why his tall form had been suspiciously absent in his search as well.

He'd know that hateful set of wide shoulders anywhere. Know that tilt of his head even from leagues away; memorized the habitual gesture of those rough hands being set in the pockets of his pants.

Watanuki was too far away to see or hear any details, but it was clear to him why Himawari had asked him her question earlier. She was under the delusion that Watanuki and Doumeki were comrades and that where Watanuki would confess would be perfect to say her feelings to his "best friend".

So his rival had won. He was truly that much better than Watanuki at everything except cooking. As far as he knew, Doumeki had never even set foot in a kitchen before in his life. His heart felt as if it would shake itself to pieces. He shouldn't have been surprised, he knew. What girl in the school wasn't after Doumeki?

Not wanting to intrude and cause himself to feel any more humiliated than he already was, he turned to find a secluded spot for lunch by himself. He missed the most important gesture of his life, and was too far away to hear the answer.

_Sakura tree_

Doumeki shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kunogi-san, but no. I can't answer to your feelings."

He had to give Kunogi points: she didn't start bawling hysterically and she didn't lose the rather "upbeat" expression on her face, though it did falter and lose a little of it's punch at his words. Her eyes seemed excessively bright and he knew that she was close to tears. A weeping girl didn't move him, but he'd been confessed to often enough to know what was going to happen as soon as he left.

God, what a huge mess of a love triangle he was caught in. Anyone would find their jaws dropped to the floor if they heard of it. On a good day, Doumeki was laughing inside over it; on a bad one, he wanted to weep himself.

Watanuki adored Himawari and would walk on hot coals for her; Himawari, as made clear to him right then, had admired him and had fallen in love with him; and he…well, he would lay down his life for Watanuki and would give anything for just a smile from him. A smile like he had given the bones of the girl under the hydrangea.

How he envied those who were graced with those smiles. The ones he fawned on Himawari weren't true smiles, not like the ones he'd come to want. The ones he wanted were those sweet, soft, and even slightly shy smiles. They were so utterly rare, as if there was generally nothing in his life worth truly smiling about and Doumeki would do anything to change that.

"I see."

Himawari looked down and her words dragged him from his reverie. How could she _not_ know that Watanuki loved her? How could she be so dense, when Doumeki could see it every single day and in every way he looked at her?

"There's someone else you like, isn't there? All the girls say you've always turned them down. Has she not noticed you yet?"

Doumeki looked away. The only good thing he could say was that Watanuki knew he was alive and he hated him. But that was better than not being noticed at all. That he didn't think he could handle. To be ignored so completely was something he only saw in his nightmares. At least with Watanuki hating him, he was acknowledging his existence. What he feared the most was nothing.

When his silence stretched, Himawari bowed and smiled at him, but it wasn't the lively ones she always had. She looked utterly distressed and he knew she was going to be crying when he wasn't in view anymore. "Then I'll leave you be. Thank you for listening, Doumeki-kun."

He stayed under the sakura tree, leaning against it in a weary way, even after her figure was nowhere to be seen. How he wished he could have the freedom to take Watanuki up here and say his feelings. Just to let the crushing weight of what he felt out in the open. But he knew that if he did that, the only answer would be disappointment. No, he had made a deal with himself to never say his feelings until he had managed to get Watanuki to stop hating him and he would go through with that deal, even if it meant taking years.

"Watanuki-kun!"

Watanuki looked up in shock as Himawari jogged up to him and sat down with her own bento. Why was she not with Doumeki? After all, wasn't the only reason she was there, why she was always inviting Doumeki with everything they did, because she liked Doumeki? Wasn't the reason she would have fun with him because she thought he and Doumeki were best friends?

"Himawari-chan, what are you doing here? Didn't you…didn't you have a thing you were going to do at lunch?" He didn't have the heart to say confess and he dared not mention that he had seen what had gone up on the hilltop under the sakura tree.

She looked down and her smile was half-hearted. It was only then that he began to notice that her eyes were a tad red-rimmed and she wasn't anywhere near her energetic self.

"I did, but he turned me down. He must have someone else he likes."

It was jarring, as if the world had fallen on its axis and was beginning to tilt slowly upside down. Doumeki had _turned down_ Himawari? He felt like spluttering what was wrong with him, but that would give away the fact that he knew who Himawari had gone to see.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out like you wanted it to."

And it was the truth. He was a total mess inside, but at least he knew that to be true. Himawari was heartbroken and he wished it wasn't so. He knew he wouldn't have a chance and he wouldn't tell her about his feelings. Even if she agreed on anything with him, she was only on the rebound and that would mean that their feelings would be false. She didn't love him. And then there was the anger inside of him at Doumeki. He had turned down Himawari! What person on the planet was worth turning down the wonderful Himawari for?!

"It's okay, really. I'll be okay. I don't think I expected anything different anyway."

The rest of the lunch was accomplished in silence. Watanuki just couldn't find anything to say to her and Himawari obviously had no wish to talk. Class was horrifically slow and since that glimpse of him under the sakura tree with Himawari, he had not seen Doumeki at all. And he had things to say to him.

With a few carefully placed questions, he learned that Doumeki was at archery practice. Himawari had declined his offer to walk her home, saying she wished to be alone, so that left him with the perfect opportunity to chew Doumeki out. It would give away the fact that he had seen the two of them, true, but his anger demanded _some_ recompense on behalf of the wonderful girl.

It didn't take long for Doumeki to notice the little black thundercloud that was Watanuki standing on the edge of the practice field. He let his eyes bore into that carefully placed arm as he held the bow and hoped that it made him extremely uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it was not uncomfortable enough since Doumeki never once missed his mark.

It galled Watanuki and only made his rage go higher that he had to wait until the rest of the members left. He didn't want Himawari's feelings and the fact that she'd been turned down public display, though considering Doumeki and how many girls he had refused, it would hardly be a surprise.

"Didn't expect to see you here. Yuuko have a job for us again?"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!"

Doumeki covered his ears in the habitual gesture, but Watanuki was having none of it. He wasn't just irritated, he was angry. His hand jerked Doumeki's down so that he couldn't cover them and gripped his wrists tightly. The archer's eyes widened a little in surprise, as if he had not expected to see a truly angry bespectacled boy.

Watanuki was completely unpredictable in his true rage, since he so rarely felt it. His habitual yelling and actions toward Doumeki were just a way to release the irritation he felt, not any sort of manifestation of anger.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kunogi Himawari." Each syllable in the name was pronounced slowly and with as much emphasis as the shaking Watanuki could manage. Those golden eyes widened a fraction more. "What in hell went through your mind when you _turned her down_? Who on this planet is worth it, is _better than_ Himawari-chan?! Bastard, you MADE HER CRY!!"

Doumeki yanked his wrists from the shorter boy's grasp and attempted to walk away. That was apparently not good enough for Watanuki, who reached for his shoulder and managed to shove him against the wall. Normally, he recognized to himself, he would not have been able to do it, as the archer was much bigger than him, but Doumeki must have been in some kind of state of shock that allowed him the opportunity.

His hands pinned on those shoulders and his deep sapphire eyes glared up at that stoic face. Could Doumeki see himself through his right eye? He rather hoped so, and if he could, he hoped that the taller could feel the raw anger that simmered in his chest. "ANSWER ME, DOUMEKI! Who is it that's more important, more precious, more perfect, than Himawari-chan?! Who is worth it enough to make her cry?!"

"You are."

_Present time, midnight_

Watanuki rolled over, his cheeks flaming red, and buried his face in his pillow. Everything after those two simple words was a blur. He couldn't remember getting his stuff and leaving school. Couldn't remember what he said in return, or if he'd said anything at all. There had been a smile on Yuuko's face the whole time he'd worked, but her needling hadn't gotten through his numb haze.

It wasn't like some sappy romance manga that Doumeki had suddenly kissed him passionately and he realized his undying love for the archer. That much he remembered. Doumeki had just stared down at him with his stoic face and Watanuki had fled.

He had never once suspected it and he dreaded the day to come because he had no idea what he was going to do about it.

_Okaa-san, you never had a saying for something like this. What am I supposed to do now?_

**-end-**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Sakura Tree, Part 2**  
Watanuki took as much time as he wanted getting dressed that morning, since he knew what would be happening at school, and he wanted to prolong the inevitable as long as possible. He had no idea what would be happening and with Doumeki and his feelings all out in the open, he was terrified. It was no longer a matter of merely being rivals. It had become something far more: a complicated and confusing mess.

For some time before, he realized that Doumeki didn't think of him as a rival, but he hadn't known just how wrong he'd been. It had gone far beyond even thinking of Watanuki as a friend, but to someone he _loved_.

His cheeks burned as he glanced in the mirror and remembered the conversation from the day before after school.

_"Who is it that's more important, more precious, more perfect, than Himawari-chan?!"_

"You are."

Watanuki resolutely turned his attention away from the mirror and grabbed his bag. He wasn't going to stop by Yuuko's shop before school. Yesterday, he'd been in a state of numb shock so that her needling hadn't penetrated. Today, what with the upcoming chaos that he was sure was going to happen, he didn't need any extra teasing.

He didn't see Doumeki on the way and while his feelings were grateful, it did nothing to help keep the spirits at bay. Almost as if they had sensed a weakness, that his protection with the archer was precarious and could fall at any second, they hounded his steps until he was sprinting as hard as he had been yesterday to the school gates.

For a moment, he felt a dizzying sense of relief that he was outrunning them when they weren't so close to his back, but it was a false hope. As he looked up, he saw the reason they were drawing away. Doumeki leaned against one of the gateposts so casually that he knew the archer had been waiting for him. As if he had known that this would happen.

His feet slowed to a walk and he trudged past the boy without saying anything. He couldn't keep the blush off his cheeks and his mind resounded with that _"You are"_ over and over again. He'd never been confessed to before in his life and hadn't even begun to get a clue as to how even if you didn't share the feelings of the person, there was no way of ever looking at that person the same again.

"Oi."

Watanuki stopped, but couldn't turn around. His hand gripped the handle of his briefcase tightly and it shook a little. He almost winced when he bit down on his tongue a little too hard.

"You were almost late. Run faster next time."

Without even realizing it, Watanuki whirled around to glare at Doumeki as he began to walk away, screaming in irritation, "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! IT'S ALL--" His voice was cut through by the bell and it wasn't until he had hurriedly sat in his seat that his mind belatedly put the pieces together.

Doumeki had said it on purpose. Instead of asking if he was all right, he had deliberately provoked him. And the act of yelling at the archer had been something of a soothing balm to his nerves and relaxed him, as strange as that sounded. Did Doumeki not mean for anything to change, even though he had told him what he felt? Was it something of an apology?

And when had he learned so much about Doumeki? When did he know him so well that he could just know all these things? Could he have picked up and watched the mannerisms of the taller boy so quickly over the half a year that they'd been thrust together? What did it all mean?

It made his brain hurt, especially when he had to try and pay attention in class and avoid thinking about Doumeki all at the same time. It was relief when lunch came about and he could forget thinking about everything and just enjoy the food he'd made. He stared at the extra bento on his desk, wondering if he would see Doumeki or not. Would he pop up with his usual annoying behavior or would he stay away? With a sigh, he stood and ventured out of the classroom almost timidly.

"Watanuki-kun, is something wrong? You've been acting strange all day."

Watanuki blinked and looked down at Himawari walking next to him. He tried to laugh it off as they settled comfortably on an empty stretch of grass that the other students hadn't found yet and took over. Perfect for a couple, in other words. Just general silence, seclusion, and at any other time, he would have been skipping for joy. But today couldn't have been more out of whack. There was nothing normal about it and it left him frantically trying to keep up with the tide.

"It's nothing really. Just…some things happened yesterday after school and I keep thinking about them."

"What sort of things?"

"S-someone confessed to me."

Himawari's eyes went bright and she smiled so brilliantly that it was hard to believe that she had been rejected the day before. Watching her during class, she still had that depressed air about her, but she never ceased to amaze him. When something supposedly good happened to someone else, she still managed to find all the enthusiasm to be happy for them. It was too bad that Watanuki had no idea if he was supposed to be happy or not. Had that truly _been_ a confession?

"Who?"

"Yo."

It had to be karmic justice or something because Doumeki's arrival just as Himawari had asked who could not even be just _hitsuzen_. There had to be something more out there that was just screaming for Watanuki's blood.

This was not going to be a pleasant lunch.

And he was right. The "three musketeers" had been broken. Himawari did her best, but her enthusiasm level had dropped and she looked anywhere but at Doumeki. Conversation tended to be short and far between, with long stretches of silence filling the gaps. Watanuki couldn't look at either of them, for fear his face would give away the confusion and tell Himawari what she had asked. How on earth would she react to knowing that she had been passed up for Watanuki, who was not only a friend but a _boy_? And as usual, Doumeki was generally silent. His comments about lunch were provoking and Watanuki reacted as usual, but it was for the sake of Himawari.

Normalcy had yet to truly return.

"Oi."

Watanuki stiffened as he stuffed the last book in his bag and glanced at the door, even though it wasn't necessary. He knew who was there. Nobody else always said that word as a way of greeting him. "What do you want?"

"I'll walk you to Yuuko's. You looked on the last legs this morning."

"I WAS PERFECTLY FINE!"

His outburst didn't fool either of them: running like that when he wasn't used to it anymore would be extremely dangerous. Before he'd met Yuuko, that morning wouldn't have been a problem. Now, six or more months later, he was out of shape. Gym class hardly counted on keeping you fit for outrunning hungry spirits that wanted to eat you.

"Bye, Watanuki-kun, Doumeki-kun!"

He waved at Himawari as she left the building and it almost seemed to him as if she was ready to bolt away. Had she truly cared for Doumeki that much and for that long that she couldn't even stand to be around him after he'd turned her down? It made his heart plummet to his shoes. Would it be so shattering if she learned what Doumeki had told him?

The walk to Yuuko's shop was accomplished in silence so thick that Watanuki felt smothered in it. His relief at seeing the gateposts come into view was quickly dashed as he saw Yuuko leaving. He really didn't want to be running around that day, having to carry her luggage. He just wanted to do something simple that had become part of his normal routine.

"Oh, Watanuki, Doumeki!"

She smiled at them and this time it was his stomach that sunk to his feet. He knew that smile and that smile meant _no good_ for anyone, especially not Watanuki who usually got stuck with all the bad stuff.

"I was just about to go on a hunt for the perfect sake that I just heard about from Syaoran's group."

It sounded like an extremely weak excuse to him. "But--"

"Don't worry, Watanuki, you won't be coming."

Oh no. Oh _no_. This couldn't be happening to him. He knew what she was going to say even before she said it because she was just sadistic like that and loved to torture him. Giving him the day off only meant that she was going to put him with Doumeki.

"Doumeki-kun, walk Watanuki home. He didn't even stop by my shop earlier and those spirits will hound him for sure. Ta ta, darlings! Come Mokona!"

"Hai!"

The little black porkbun leapt from the shop to land on her shoulder and she did her own little version of a "skip" down the street. This _had_ to be on purpose. Not even _hitsuzen_ could be this bad!

The word awkward didn't even begin to describe the air between him and Doumeki as they stood there. Well, at least he thought it was awkward. The archer's face was as impassive as always. He was so desperate that he began to wonder if it had all been a dream and that he was worrying for nothing. Doumeki hadn't said those two words after he had confronted him. No, he had hit him and that accounted for the memory loss of the day before and the absurd thoughts that were going on in his head right then.

"Since Yuuko gave me the day off, guess I'll go home."

"Oi."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME!" he yelled as he heard the footsteps fall in behind him.

"We have to talk."

_No we don't! No we don't! No we don't!_ he chanted frantically in his mind, willing the ever so small amount of peace he had gotten from his delusion of a few minutes ago to stay.

"I told you I don't take orders for lunch!"

Doumeki's hand grabbed his elbow and he was turned forcibly around to face the archer. His delusion vanished as he looked into those golden eyes and he knew without a doubt he had heard those two words fall from those thin, hard lips. He shivered as they stared down at him unblinking.

"We have nothing to talk about!" He hated how high the pitch of his words got and he jerked his arm from the hold Doumeki had on him. Maybe he couldn't outrun spirits, but he could outrun Doumeki on the worst of days! Or so he hoped. He wanted nothing more than to reach the sanctity of his apartment where he could fuss and putter around and forget about it all. He didn't _want_ to have a talk with Doumeki.

Frantically he dug out the keys from his pocket, but his hope was over when a hand gripped his shoulder. Banging his forehead against the door twice, he turned around to see a winded Doumeki behind him and looking, if possible, a little annoyed.

He gave a faint whimper inwardly. Had he, despite his protests and constant actions otherwise, learned so much about Doumeki in the past few months that he was learning how to _read_ that stoic face? Could even pick out the faint twitches of his eyes or mouth and know exactly what they meant?

"I think we have quite a lot to talk about. Inside."

Doumeki gestured with his hand at the door to his apartment and he knew that unless he moved faster than a mongoose, there was no way to get in and slam the door shut in the archer's face to prevent him entry.

In any case, he had little time to react as Doumeki ended up going in first. He had had no idea that the taller boy could move so fast, especially considering he was almost twice the size and weight of Watanuki.

Wait, weight? How could he possibly have picked up weight…? Unless he had been looking…He slammed the door shut, keeping his back to the archer so that he could control the blush that appeared on his cheeks. He had most assuredly _not_ been looking. Even with Doumeki's feelings in the air between them, he was still a hated rival. He was…right?

"Oi."

"Shut up, Doumeki! You barge into my home without so much as an invite and you want--"

He couldn't finish as there was a tongue that was not his own in the way. His eyes went wide and round, almost in fear, at Doumeki's face as he kissed him and his whole body froze. He was incapable of responding, either to kiss Doumeki back or push him away. This was so very much not happening. He was not enjoying the kiss. He was not noticing that he tasted earthy and real. He was not feeling safe in those arms that enclosed him. And by god, he was _not_ feeling aroused as those hands slid up and down his spine.

When Doumeki pulled away, Watanuki was still frozen to the spot and his bag had dropped from nerveless fingers to land on the floor carelessly. The lock had come open and spilled pencils to roll around aimlessly, but he didn't notice. All he noticed were those golden eyes that suddenly seemed like molten lava. They were all heat and fire, searing with feeling as he stared down, and left Watanuki quaking inside.

"Watanuki…" That voice he knew so well, naturally deep anyway, somehow seemed even deeper and yet somehow breathy. "Watanuki, my feelings for you…they're real." A hand slid into his short hair to hold the back of his head and Watanuki shivered. "I've been in love with you for months. You were the one I looked at out of the corner of my eye and tried to impress. You probably thought I was just trying to show you up, but I wasn't, I swear."

It was the longest speech he'd ever heard out of Doumeki, who didn't even seem finished, and he swallowed thickly. The archer had always struck him as a less thought more action person, and as Yuuko had started to tell him recently, he himself was a more thought less action. Had this been what she meant? Had she _known_ this was going to happen?

_"It was **hitsuzen**, Watanuki."_ was what she would say.

Doumeki's other hand lifted to run over his eyelashes and cheeks and held Watanuki frozen even more when he had thought to move. What little shock had been overcome by thinking about his employer returned in full force with the simple movement by the taller boy.

"I would try to impress you, but all I ever got was your adorable yells and flaying about. And while it pleased me a bit to know that I was the only one who could affect you like that, sometimes I wondered if you really did truly hate me and there was no room for what I felt." He let out a sigh and the warm air ran down Watanuki's neck in a slithering motion, like that of the pipe fox spirit did when it was around. "Every girl that smiled and confessed to me, I would dream it would be you instead."

Doumeki began to lean in and Watanuki knew he was going to kiss him again. "NO!" With a strength that could almost be called supernatural, he broke the hold and stumbled away down the short hall. But Doumeki wasn't going to let him be and there was a faint scuffle until they were both standing apart in his bedroom.

"Watanuki…"

"NO! I SAID NO! I LOVE HIMAWARI-CHAN!"

The effect of his words on Doumeki was nothing short of remarkable. Watanuki's eyes widened as that stoic face flinched and he turned away as if he had been struck. Trying to ignore the feeling that had suddenly burst in his chest like a popped balloon, he turned away to grip the dresser that held a picture of himself as a boy on his first day of school. Where had that boy gone? Was he still the same Watanuki Kimihiro of back then?

"What are you still doing here?" he hissed quietly, letting his finger run over the picture frame absently.

"I still have things to say."

"And I don't want to hear them."

"I don't care."

Watanuki turned with an irritated glance. This was _his_ house and Doumeki had barged in and thoroughly molested him enough. "GET OUT!"

"I never meant for this to change anything," the boy continued as if he hadn't said anything. "I had made a deal with myself that I would wait for as long as it took to get through to you, even if it meant…even if you might never feel that way about me. I could settle for just being near you."

His irritation petered off as Doumeki strode forward and pinned him to the dresser with an arm on either side of the bespectacled boy. He'd never heard Doumeki speak so much ever. He had thought that Doumeki just hadn't had anything to say, but he had been completely and utterly wrong. Blush stained his cheeks as the archer's eyes melted with feeling again and struck him once more like that lava, powerful and unstoppable.

"It's the whole reason I protect you. Not because Yuuko tells me to, but because I want to."

Silence stretched between them. Watanuki realized a little late that he was shaking. He was afraid, but of what? Of Doumeki being _right_? Of the feelings that his words were invoking inside of him? What feeling was it when you felt as if you had writhing snakes in your stomach and your heartbeat could rival that of a hummingbird's wings? He had never felt like this with Himawari…

"Kimihiro…"

Kimihiro! He didn't even have time to react to Doumeki using his first name before those lips were on his again and those arms were sliding effortlessly around him. It tasted just as before, but this time, there was almost as sense of urgency to it. And though he'd never experienced it before, he knew that there was also a passion that Doumeki was passing to him with his tongue.

Being held so close, there wasn't a way of hiding the fact that there was something pressing against one of his legs. It took a moment to realize what it was and when he did, he turned as red as a cherry.

Doumeki _wanted_ him!

Watanuki whimpered a little as the kiss extended and became deeper, more seductive. He was finding it harder to suppress his instincts and his instincts were telling him to kiss Doumeki right back until they were both senseless with the sensations. Those skillful hands gripped the back of Watanuki's winter uniform shirt and he realized that Doumeki was nowhere near as composed as he looked.

When he pulled away this time, the bespectacled boy had to fight off letting another whimper out and following those lips with his own for another kiss. Doumeki stared down at him before forcing his hands to loosen on the shirt he gripped so tightly and let Watanuki go.

Was it his imagination or was Doumeki looking embarrassed? The archer turned away and there was indeed a faint sheen of color on his cheeks.

Watanuki gripped the front of his shirt over his heart and realized that he'd never felt so alive until that moment. The unrestrained passion that Doumeki had woken in him cried out to be used. His lips still tingled with the taste of the taller boy and all he had to do was think about it and he could remember the feeling of that tongue sliding in his mouth with ease as if it was still happening. He wanted more.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't--"

He couldn't tell who was more surprised, himself or Doumeki, that he had just almost tackled the archer and was kissing him with surprising virility. It took little prompting for Doumeki to respond and in seconds they were clutching at each other as if their lives depended on it.

They were complete opposites.

Doumeki laid him down on the futon as gently as his passion would allow and his fingers flicked open the buttons on Watanuki's shirt to reveal a pale, perfect chest. When his hands could actually touch his bare skin, it was like electric and Watanuki whimpered again.

It would never work.

Clothes didn't stand a chance between the two and soon the area around the bed was strewn with them. It was then that things began to slow down. It was Watanuki's first time, so he wasn't sure what it meant. Fear had wormed in him that maybe he had done something wrong. But Doumeki only left suckling kisses down his neck and yanked the covers over them both.

Doumeki was annoying and made his life harder with all those out of season bentos.

Watanuki hadn't anticipated that it would feel so good when Doumeki ground his hips gently into the smaller boy's. A faint cry echoed from his throat, and the archer lifted his head to kiss him softly, as if in reassurance. Fingers hooked over his ears to remove his glasses and set them aside. There was no way he was going to reach the dresser, so he just let them drop without a sound onto the carpet.

Himawari was in love with Doumeki.

He wondered how many times Doumeki had done this, as he seemed to know all the right things to do. His tongue flickered out to tap on one of Watanuki's nipples and he gasped, arching into that wonderful mouth. Everywhere the taller boy touched, he left a steaming trail of fire on his skin and his heart felt like it was going so fast that it would burst.

Doumeki was his rival.

Slowly, Doumeki increased his grinding against him in pace, one hand snaking down to touch him as well. Watanuki had a faint thought that maybe the neighbors might hear his cries before that skillful tongue was invading his mouth again to reassuringly silence him. He didn't know whether to be thankful that Yuuko gave him the day off or be enraged. And if that witch knew this was going to happen, he'd kill her.

He'd hated Doumeki since he was a child.

The night had been warm before, but it was positively steaming in his bedroom right then. Sweat beaded on his skin and ran down his body, falling into crevices like those on his collarbone and shoulders. Watanuki gripped Doumeki tightly around his chest, pulling them as close as they could be, and as his hands touched that muscular back and shoulders, he could feel the sweat on him as well. Was it possible for them to be more aroused than they already were?

Doumeki loved to tease him and give him a hard time.

The archer groaned as Watanuki slowly began to arch his hips every time Doumeki pressed down and the sound was like most beautiful music he'd ever heard. First time or not, it was clear to him that he aroused Doumeki in all honesty and was actually pleasing him as much as he was being pleased.

Was this love anyway, regardless of all those things?

Watanuki, though he rarely had time, had sometimes had the chance to relax and touch himself before, but this time was nowhere near like that. Doumeki was stopping at nothing to please him endlessly and when his climax came, the archer had to kiss him intimately so that his cry didn't wake the neighbors.

He went limp beneath that muscular form and his cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red again as their eyes met. The sheets were a sticky mess between the two of them and it was then that he realized just what they'd done. He had lost his virginity and to none other than his rival. To a _boy_.

Immediately, he tried to leave the bed, but Doumeki's hand on his arm stopped him and kept him there. During the whole thing, somehow Doumeki had managed to get behind him and was holding him securely. He was…_snuggling_ with him, nuzzling his hair and leaving sweet, short kisses on his ear and neck. "Stay," he murmured huskily.

"I'm…I'm not like that," he stuttered.

"Your body spoke otherwise."

Watanuki blushed, but when he once again made motions as if to leave the bed, Doumeki only held him tighter. His every nerve was still tingling from the sensations of what the archer could make him feel, not only physically but otherwise, and as a defense, he argued, "You _seduced_ me!" But it was half-hearted and lacked conviction.

Apparently he had hit a sore spot, because Doumeki turned his chin to look at him. And even without his glasses, where things were slightly blurry, there was no mistaking the hardness of those golden eyes.

"You wanted this as much as me. You were the one who kissed me then. I would _never_ touch you or dishonor you like that if you didn't truly want it!"

Seeing the sheer belief and conviction written on his face, Watanuki felt his defense wilt beneath it. He truly…did he truly love him? Regardless of gender, could it _possibly_ work? And what about Himawari? What would she say when she found out?

Doumeki's lips once again assaulted his gently, letting his hand slide down below Watanuki's stomach. After that, the night became a blur.

When Watanuki woke, sunlight streamed in through the closed curtains and he was alone. For a moment, he didn't understand the sheer mess of the sheets until the night before came rushing back. Where was Doumeki?

With a sick feeling, he sat up and looked around, expecting to find a rose and a note or something similar, like in all those manga, but there was nothing. His glasses had been picked up and set carefully on the desk and there was nothing awaiting him on the pillow that had cradled the archer's head.

"'Bout time you woke up."

His head snapped to look at the door. Doumeki stood there, wearing his school uniform and leaning against the doorway, watching him. He appeared immaculate. And suddenly realizing that he was completely naked, he did an extremely girlish thing and pulled the sheet up over his chest before he even had a chance to think about it.

"Doumeki--"

The action brought a faint smile to Doumeki's lips. "You can call me Shizuka. And you might want to take a quick shower and get dressed. We have school and you won't have time to make lunch, unless you made enough yesterday morning."

Was it like it never happened? Did last night not mean a thing? His eyes slid away as his head turned, but Doumeki must not have missed the disappointment and hurt in his eyes. His voice lanced across the silence and his steps were sure as they made their way over to the bed, as if they'd traveled that path countless times before. As if it wasn't his first time in Watanuki's apartment.

"Don't think that way, Kimihiro." His ears twitched at his first name and those strong fingers gripped his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "Last night meant everything to me." That thumb ran over his jaw so softly that if his chin hadn't been held, he would have sworn that it didn't happen. "What happened between us last night went beyond any expectations and surpassed my wildest dreams. I would very much like to repeat it with you again in the future."

Was he asking for it? Did he mean what he thought he meant? Could Watanuki now be called a "boyfriend"? His heart began to plead yes and it was only then, staring into those golden eyes, that he could put the pieces together of last night. Doumeki made him feel alive and in ways that Himawari had never managed to do just by being there. That feeling that had burst inside of him when he had managed to somehow hurt Doumeki had brought him no joy and only a sadness of his own.

That secretly glad feeling he got whenever Doumeki ordered something for lunch that he hadn't grown out of him yet…did that mean what he thought it did? All the little things that he had subconsciously noted and hidden away in his mind: what Doumeki liked, how to read his stoic face for what he felt, picked up on his mannerisms, predicting how he'd react and behave.

Combining all his feelings and what he'd noticed, that could only lead up to one thing. He was in love with Doumeki. Doumeki was right; the archer was the only one who could get under his skin the way he did and just bring out uncontrolled outbursts. Doumeki was the one that no matter how many times he tried to push him away would always show up and hold out his hand to help him.

"Kimihiro? Is something wrong?"

Watanuki blinked and realized that Doumeki had sunk down to kneel on the bed next to him, and though his expression hadn't changed, he knew that Doumeki was worried. He just knew it, in the same manner that he had known last night that Doumeki had been annoyed with him.

Blush tinted his cheeks and he whispered, "I just realized something."

Doumeki only raised an eyebrow, but he knew it was in query. He was asking of what. Watanuki only laughed inside at himself, finally feeling free. All the things he knew with certainty because as much as Doumeki had been watching him, he'd been watching Doumeki.

"I think…I just realized that I love you."

Oh, it didn't mean that they wouldn't still have fights and Doumeki wouldn't get under his skin the way he always did. It didn't mean that he wouldn't still want to kill him sometimes. In fact, it didn't mean that anything had to change at all. It just meant…that they were in love.

And for the first time in their acquaintance, he saw Doumeki smile. Not a smirk, not a grin, but an actual smile. Their lips met and the simple chaste kiss threatened to turn into something far steamier if it hadn't been for the fact that Watanuki remembered he had to get to school.

. _An hour later_

"I can't believe we're doing this again."

"SHUT UP, DOUMEKI! It's _your_ fault!"

Doumeki leveled him with an eye as they ran full tilt toward the school. "First, it's Shizuka, Kimihiro, and second, how is this my fault?"

A faint blush touched his cheeks. He had forgotten about that. It was a reflex action, really. "Well…if you hadn't been there…and looked so sexy…"

"So you getting all clingy and kissing me senseless, half dressed, in the hallway is somehow all my fault?"

They managed to get through the gate just as the bell rang, and to his consternation, Doumeki insisted that he had beaten him again. He wondered if the reason was because Doumeki was trying to impress him again. He _had_ said that had tried to do that before.

He turned to go to his classroom, when Doumeki caught his elbow and pulled him close. The kiss was as breathless as the two of them, and short, but it let him know enough. Doumeki was not going to hide "them". When he pulled away, Watanuki had to force himself to reconnect with the world again. Kissing Doumeki was like an out of body experience.

"Tomorrow," he whispered, "I want sushi with cookies, since you didn't make me lunch today."

Watanuki blinked and realized just what he'd said. "I DON'T TAKE ORDERS!" he yelled and his mind remembered that retreating back far more vividly missing his shirt.

By the time lunch rolled around, it had gotten around a bit about him and Doumeki. Those that had been in the courtyard when the archer had kissed him had sent it out among the students like wildfire. There were twitters wherever he went and sidelong glances. He'd even received a few glares from Doumeki's fanclub.

He honestly hadn't expected Himawari to show up at lunch. Hardly anything had changed like he had predicted, they were still arguing as always, when her shadow suddenly fell over them. Apparently she had heard, for her eyes and posture were a tad shy.

"Can I join you two?"

"Of course you can, Himawari-chan!"

Doumeki's eyes flashed at him meaningfully, and he knew he'd have to reassure his boyfriend that it was entirely platonic. He had lost little of his enthusiasm for Himawari, but his heart didn't beat painfully for her the way it did for Doumeki. His stomach didn't twist in knots at her presence. Knowing what he felt for the archer, feeling it full force the night before, helped him to see what it wasn't with Himawari.

"I heard you two…" She glanced at Doumeki and smiled a little, clearing her throat as if she wasn't quite sure how to phrase it, especially in case she was wrong. Doumeki nodded back at her.

Watanuki blushed and it seemed with that action Himawari perked up. "Really? How adorable!"

"You aren't…upset, Himawari-chan?"

"What do you mean?"

He wanted to hit himself. He had forgotten Himawari hadn't known that he had seen the two of them under the sakura tree. He had taken it as a given that she had known, especially since his mind had been all turned about for the last two days. Haltingly, against his better judgment, he told her and for a moment she was silent. He chewed on his tongue a little, watching her intently. What was going on in her mind? This was the moment he had truly been dreading.

Finally, she looked up and smiled. "I'm a little disappointed, yes, but Watanuki-kun, you're my friend too. If I had had a choice of losing Doumeki-kun to anyone, I would have picked you." She laughed a little. "Now I see that I never stood a chance against _you_!"

"No, Himawari-chan, it's not like that---Stop that, Shizuka!"

Doumeki had actually had the temerity to snigger and Himawari joined him when she heard Doumeki's first name spill from his lips. "You two are so adorable!"

Watanuki blushed and it seemed that things would be fine, after all. The entire day before seemed like a dream of anxiety, but it was gone. _Hitsuzen_ Yuuko would say and maybe she was right. Himawari probably did still harbor feelings for Doumeki, but after the night before, he wasn't really worried about losing Doumeki to anyone, at least not for the time being. And if he did, they'd just have to work it out. Time would help. It was still a little awkward between the three of them, but he hoped that once they all got used to the changes, it would be okay.

**-end-**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Sakura Tree, Part 3**  
Watanuki heard it wherever he went and it was almost as bad as being constantly hounded by spirits. The little twitters behind raised hands as they gathered in small packs like nests of hornets, giving him covert and overt stares as he went down the hall. Some even paused in their tracks to watch him walk by. And hardly any of those eyes were welcoming or understanding.

Almost the whole school of girls was against him.

He could feel it in their menacing and unhappy gazes. Sometimes it was so bad that he wanted to break into a run. It was three months since Doumeki and he started dating. For the first few weeks, everyone seemed to be in a state of shock and things were fine. It was when Doumeki's fanclub got up in arms. And it was then that he had learned, he'd had a small clique of his own that he'd been completely unaware about.

Neither group was pleased with their current relationship.

_"The enemy of my enemy is therefore my friend," Yuuko murmured, making a small puff of smoke from her mouth as she reclined on her special sofa._

Watanuki just wanted to be left alone and unnoticed. Before things had changed between he and Doumeki, even with Doumeki hanging around him, the fanclub hadn't noticed or hadn't viewed him as a threat. Now, on the other hand, they were readying pitchforks and swords, hunting for his blood.

There was no way he could have realized the _extent_ of Doumeki's fans. They ran through the _whole school_ and was like a government in and of itself, with structures and rules. It was like a society in which Doumeki was president and god. They did not appreciate the interloper, especially when that interloper was another boy. And when that fanclub set its displeasure on someone, everyone else had to fall in line.

The teachers were oblivious to it all. There were no overt threats. But it wore on Watanuki's nerves after a while and his pride would not allow him to tell his boyfriend about the quiet harassment he was receiving. The only true proof that he had were a few notes left in his locker and he'd burned those quickly.

_"The truth is, you have to realize Watanuki," Yuuko had said as she had finally wheedled it out of him as to what had been bothering him, "is that they'll **never** be happy with anybody Doumeki might choose unless it's them. He could date the so-called president of this group and it wouldn't make a difference. They all want him for themselves. It's human nature."_

His boss' words hadn't left him and while he appreciated her sentiments, which he had no reason to doubt as anything but true since she had been one of her rare sober and serious moods, it did nothing to stop it or ease the hardship. Even the little area of green they used to eat lunch at was being watched. He'd found the only solace, a place of peace, to eat at was on the one of the roof's. It had taken Doumeki and Himawari all lunch period to find him the first day he'd started eating there.

Ah, Himawari. She truly was a wonder.

Despite the pressure from her friends and the other girls of the school, she had not bent and ostracized him. She stuck by him, even though she wasn't obligated to and he had stolen Doumeki from her without even realizing it.

And damn that Doumeki. His Shizuka didn't even realize what was going on and Watanuki's pride wouldn't let him say anything. Despite his feelings, he refused to rely on Doumeki for every damn thing that happened. He'd been alone his whole life before he'd met the archer and he would be damned that he would let a few problems like this make him go running for safety.

Watanuki ducked around a wall to catch his breath. Nobody was around and he could calm his nerves before meeting Doumeki at the front gates. No matter where he went, the taller boy always accompanied him, or it almost seemed that way. There were no twitters or stares when Doumeki was around. Nobody, apparently, wanted to arouse the boy's anger or attention to what they were doing to his boyfriend.

Straightening his shirt and hair, he hurried from the school. Doumeki stood and slipped next to him without Watanuki breaking stride as they left. That larger hand, rough with calluses from his club activities, grabbed his as usual and twined their fingers together. Himawari wouldn't be walking with them that day, so it was the first time they were alone together for several weeks.

"Oi."

"My name is not 'oi'! Were you _born_ this way? Can't you every say anybody's _name_?!"

Doumeki sent him a searching glance and admittedly, Watanuki knew he over-reacted a little too much for normal. Today had been a bad day, was the only thing he could blame it on.

But instead of commenting on it, Doumeki slid right past it. "Yuuko dropped by practice today. She said she has a job for us and to meet at the park." He paused and Watanuki merely nodded silently. "You all right? You look paler than usual."

"I'm fine," he snapped, fidgeting a little. He could feel a headache coming on and he hoped that whatever job Yuuko had planned for them that it didn't involve a lot of stress. He had gone to bed so exhausted at night lately, and even then, he never slept well. And for once, it had nothing to do with spirits.

It didn't take long to reach the park and true to her word, Yuuko was waiting for them. She turned and tilted her head, regarding them as they stood in front of her. When she didn't say anything at first, merely stared, he got fed up. He was tired of being stared at! There was _nothing wrong_ with him!

"What is it, Yuuko-san, or did you drag us out here for nothing?"

"My, my, aren't you in a bad mood today, Watanuki." Before he could respond, she continued. "And yes, I have a job for you."

She flipped a smooth, white pebble in her hand several times and the black Mokona sitting on her shoulder giggled randomly. Yuuko loved suspense and watched as he fidgeted, before sticking out a tongue and tossing it forcefully against the ground. It seemed to break open and white smoke lifted from the soil, to twine around their ankles and up their bodies, seeming to center mostly like a mini bubble around their combined hands.

"Your job," Yuuko said cheerfully, but her voice sounded far away and even she herself was beginning to blur and distort, "is to relax!"

Watanuki's eyes snapped open and he found himself standing on a moonlit grassy shore. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes of insensibility, as they were exactly as they had been at the park.

He looked up at the sky and the moon was so bright it almost made his eyes water. The stars seemed a helluva lot closer than they normally were supposed to look, and when he glanced down again, there seemed to be a vast ocean in front of him. It glowed beneath the surface with beautiful, muted rainbow colors and the reflections from the stars made it look like there were diamonds below the shifting, smooth waves.

"Where the hell are we?" he asked aloud, letting go of Doumeki's hand and dropping his bag onto the ground. It smelled fresh, like the ocean usually smelled, but nowhere on earth was this beautiful. And he felt nothing here. There were no spirits anywhere to be seen or felt.

He turned around to glance behind him, taking note of millions of fireflies dancing over flowers and grass. Movement to his left drew his attention and Doumeki had already dropped down on the ground. Looking at his figure, Watanuki realized it was only the second time he'd seen Doumeki look so relaxed. There was no tension in any of his muscles and he appeared strangely at peace.

Since there didn't seem to be much to do, and they had no way of getting back until Yuuko let them, he sat down as well, picking up a few blades of grass and playing them between his fingers.

The silence lasted all of five seconds.

"So what's been eating you lately?"

"Nothing has been eating me! See? All limbs accounted for!!"

"I didn't mean literally."

Watanuki knew he hadn't, but he honestly didn't know what to tell him. With a sigh, he let himself fall against the cushioning grass of wherever they were and stared up at the stars, beginning to count them until his vision was filled with Doumeki.

The archer leaned over him and one arm wrapped around Watanuki's waist. When their eyes touched, he looked away, blush staining his cheeks. They hadn't really physically touched or even fondled each other since that first night; they barely even exchanged any deep kisses. It had been too new ground for him and he had put on the brakes as fast as he could. Doumeki had been all right with that, as he seemed to be all right with everything.

Those rough but pleasing fingers took hold of his jaw gently and turned his head to make him look at him. "Kimihiro, tell me. For the past month, you've been upset."

"I have not--"

"You can't lie to me, Kimihiro. I know you too well." The archer paused. "It's them, isn't it?"

"Them who?"

Doumeki gave an exasperated sound. "That fanclub of mine. They're giving you a hard time, aren't they?"

Watanuki's pride flared up and his mouth opened to deny, but the stern look in Doumeki's eyes stopped him from saying anything. He'd never seen Doumeki look quite like that, and frankly it was scary. It was reminiscent of the angered expression he'd seen when the archer had found out that he had sacrificed his right eye to the spider.

"How bad is it?"

He frowned heavily at the boy above him and with a bad-tempered look, he dragged his book bag over to rummage in it. He'd received a note the day before and hadn't had a chance to burn it yet. He shoved it almost violently into Doumeki's hand and then curled on his side, facing away from his boyfriend.

Did he care that he was sulking? No. Did he want to tell Doumeki about this problem? Not in this lifetime. Did he have a choice? Apparently not. He didn't see the hard expression on Doumeki's face, nor hear the words the archer said under his breath.

A kiss was laid right beneath his ear and he blinked. Arms slipped around his chest and held him close from behind, and then a back was pressed to his own. It was just like their first time and he blushed. Apparently one of Doumeki's new favorite activities with him was snuggling.

"I knew something was going on, but I didn't know how bad it had gotten. I'm sorry."

Watanuki shrugged jerkily. "Who cares? It was my problem to begin with."

There was silence behind him for a moment. "You were never going to tell me, were you?"

"No," he replied flatly. He was being pissy, he knew, but he frankly didn't care. He'd had to deal with those girls for months now and he didn't appreciate being forced to tell it to Doumeki.

Doumeki sighed and he could feel the air ruffle the hair at the nape of his neck. Slowly he began to leave kisses down his neck. And it annoyed Watanuki a little. He didn't _want_ to be soothed. He wanted to still be angry and irritated. And damnit, he still would be if Doumeki would leave off his kissing.

It was only when the tension had seeped from both their bodies nearly a half an hour later that Doumeki spoke again. Watanuki himself was merely staring into nothing as he enjoyed the rare moment of peace. He didn't have to worry about spirits, his crazy boss, or maniacal fanclub girls here. Just he and Doumeki.

"Feeling better?" he murmured.

"I've been thinking…when we get back, do you…do you want to maybe spend the night at my apartment?"

There was shifting behind him and he turned to see Doumeki prop himself up on one elbow. That face was as stoic as ever, but he'd learned that the real expressions could be seen in those amber eyes if you knew where and what to look for. It might take a while to find it, but it was always there somewhere. Right then, there was faint surprise deeply hidden.

"If you've got shrimp tempura, sure."

"And I'm supposed to make you food on _my_ invitation?! After all I've been through!"

A faint smile tugged at Doumeki's lips and he leaned down, their mouths touching in a kiss that slowly become quite deep. It could have gone beyond that, to touching and more, if Yuuko hadn't decided she'd pop them back into the real world right then.

His cheeks couldn't have turned redder and he immediately scrambled out from underneath Doumeki under the amused stare of his boss. Doumeki merely glanced up, shrugged, and stood, dusting off his clothes.

"I take it all went well?" Her smile was positively smug.

In the end, Watanuki never knew what Doumeki had said or done, but the twitters and the stares had stopped. He could actually walk the halls without feeling like he was going to bolt any moment. And their little quiet grassy area for lunch was free to use again in the end.

Watanuki had ventured to ask Doumeki as they lay in his bed after a particularly "strenuous" but infinitely and torturously slow love making session what he had done, but the archer had merely cocked his head and shrugged.

"I guess they decided in the end it wasn't worth it."

After that comment, Watanuki decided he really didn't want to know what his Shizuka had done.

**-end-**


End file.
